José Manuel Barroso, President of the EC, participated in the European Policy Centre (EPC) debate "Moving Europe forward" ahead of the European Council of 28-29/06/2012. Hans Martens, Chief Executive of the EPC, was also present.
The President called for a banking Union as the first building block for deepening the Economic and Monetary Union. He notably recalled the proposals the EC had already put on the table towards the banking Union, namely those on capital requirements and common bank resolution, and elaborated on proposed concepts of fiscal and political union as the second and third building blocks for a genuine Economic and Monetary Union.